A Commentary and Distinct Aspect of Black History Month
Posted: Saturday, February 03, 2007
by David Tanguay
“We are not makers of history. We are made by history" Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Personal commentary from the author)
I was born and raised in Southern Maine, born in the city of Westbrook, on the outskirts of Portland. As a child in the 50s, I never grew up knowing any black kids, going to a catholic school of all whites. However I remember on one occasion the nun who taught us, while we were learning about the different races and nationalities in the world she said [quote] “I wish we had a black student in our classroom" television was beginning to become popular in the late 50s, that’s were we baby boomers got a great deal of our education. Of course, it took awhile for black celebrities to make a scene on television. That is to play a major role in a movie, or to have their own TV series. So I ask a black person reading this article can a white guy like me growing up in a peaceful white neighborhood having no experience living or dealing personally with black people know what they feel in their heart? Can I put myself in their shoes and actually feel the discrimination, injustice, humiliation, prejudice they have experienced in their lifetime? Do I have the imagination to wonder, of all the different nationalities, religions, races, how the black individual stands out from all the rest of humanity? Do I have the capacity to look into your inner best-kept secrets? Maybe I’m not qualified as a fully pledged, and honored black citizen in your community, club, or gang, however we do share the same planet and I believe the same god, so give me a little credit for the feelings I’ve had for the black community either as a child or at present in my manhood. (why is this introduction relevant to black history month?)
“Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
(Black history month) origin
Black History Month was established in 1976 by the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History. The month-long celebration was an expansion of Negro History Week, which was established in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, director of what was then known the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. Woodson selected the week in February that embraced the birthdays of both Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. The celebration may have had its origins in the separate efforts of Mary Church Terrell and the African American collegiate fraternity Omega Phi Psi. The former had begun the practice of honoring [[Frederick Douglass]] on February 14th, the date he used to mark his birth. The Omegas established a "Negro Achievement Week" in 1924. Woodson was friends with [[Mary Church Terrell]] and worked with her and the National Council of Colored Women to preserve Douglass' home and personal papers. Woodson was also a member of Omega Psi Phi. While Terrell's celebration of Douglass was a local event and the Omega Achievement Week was part of their community outreach, Woodson broadened the scope of the celebration in three significant ways. First, he conceived of the event as a national celebration, sending out a circular to groups across the United States. Secondly, he sought to appeal to both whites and blacks and to improve race relations. For this reason, he chose President Lincoln's birthday as well as Douglass'. Finally, Woodson viewed Negro History Week as an extension of ASNLH's effort to demonstrate to the world that Africans and peoples of African descent had contributed to the advance of history. Each year, ASNLH would select a national theme and provide scholarly and popular materials to focus the nation's "study" of Negro history. As such, Negro History Week was conceived as a means of undermining the foundation of the idea of black inferiority through popular information grounded in scholarship.
The Negro History Week Movement took hold immediately. At first, it was celebrated almost exclusively by African Americans, taking place outside of the view of the wider society. Increasingly, however, mayors and governors, especially in the North, began endorsing Negro History Week and promoting interracial harmony. By the time of his death in 1950, Negro History Week had become a well-established cultural institution. Indeed, it was so established that Woodson had begun to criticize groups for shallow and often inaccurate presentations that did not advance the public's knowledge of Negro life and history.
With the rise of the Black Power Movement in the 1960s, many in the African American community began to complain about the inadequacy of a weeklong celebration. In 1976, the ASNLH, having changed its name to the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History, responded to the popular call, citing the 50th annual celebration and America's bicentennial. For more on the association visit, http://www.asalh.org.
Purpose
History books had barely started covering black history when the tradition of Black History Month was started. At that point, most representation of blacks in history books was only in reference to the low social position they held, with the exception of [[George Washington Carver]]. Black History Month can also be referred to as African-American History Month, or African Heritage Month. One of the few U.S. history works at that time told from an African American perspective was W.E.B. DuBois' 1935 work "Black Reconstruction."
In the [[United Kingdom]] (UK), Black History Month is celebrated in the month of October. The official guide to Black History Month in the UK[] is published by Sugar Media, Ltd., who produce 100,000 copies nationwide. {{cite web|url=http://www.black history monthuk.co.uk/|publisher="Black History Month UK"|title="Black History Month UK"|}}
Part of the aim of Black History Month is to expose the harms of racial prejudice and to cultivate black self-esteem following centuries of socio-economic oppression {{citation needed}}. It is also an opportunity to recognize significant contributions to society made by people with African heritage.
Actually because it is the shortest month of the year, and it was the compromise that northern Democrats gave to southern Republicans to appease their KKK constituencies by keeping the celebration to a minimum.{{fact}}
Debate
Black History Month sparks an annual debate about the continued usefulness of a designated month dedicated to the history of one skin color.
Some African American radical/nationalist groups, including the [[Nation of Islam]], have criticized Black History Month. Some critics contend Black History Month is irrelevant because it has degenerated into a shallow ritual. But that problem is one of execution not design. If treated seriously, the monthly observation could conceivably trigger more concern for the accuracy of traditional school curricula. {{cite web|url=http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/2476/|publisher="[[Salim Muwakkil]]"|title="Black History Month Matters"|}}
Woodson, creator of Negro History Week, hoped that the week would eventually be eliminated, when African-American history would be fully integrated with American history.
African American history
Black history
On this date in black history
Black history month, (arts & events) 2007
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)David, thanks for a thoughtful and well-researched article on Black History Month. You raise an incredibly interesting question about the ability of people with little or no exposure to African Americans to appreciate the legal, physical, psychological and social struggles of people of color. While it is abundantly clear that they cannot understand the struggle, it is admirable that you and others take the time to read, learn and enthusiastically join the discussion. Only through heartfelt discussion, debate, learning and meditation will we all come to a better understanding and ability to live and work in racial harmony and fairness. Bless you!Please log in to respond to this comment.Thank you for your comment Mr. Collins. However I believe some of us can understand the struggles. Love is something we cannot learn in our schools. It’s as natural as the air we breath, children have no difficulty socializing with different races. Sometimes it’s poor education that leads to all our problems. (I see your point though)Please log in to respond to this comment.
Thanks for the article...It is very informativePlease log in to respond to this comment.thank you for your comment Mr. Phipps I visited your site and read a few of your articles. I'll be reading more of your work, I like the way you express yourself.Please log in to respond to this comment.
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